Miracle 7/12-7/20

[TravelQueenNMS]

I sailed the Miracle as well 7/12-7/20. If I wanted to look I am sure I could find something to complain about, but this was a vacation and I just wanted to enjoy it. Overall the vacation was wonderful, the ship was beautiful(I didn't see the problem with the dining room decor) , the ports were nice and everyone was very friendly.

 

We never had to wait long for food or drinks. We were in and out quickly, with in an hour. Maybe you had to wait long because your large party was rearanged which then caused an overwhelming number for your wait staff. That not being your fault or the waiters.

 

I personally enjoyed all the see days because it was a relaxing vacation. I agree it was a bit rocky going down due to Bertha. However, on the way back there were tropical storms along the East Coast. We didn't feel any rockiness on the way back.

[jaja]

Glad you enjoyed!

 

Did you do any of the excursions?

 

 

I sailed the Miracle as well 7/12-7/20. If I wanted to look I am sure I could find something to complain about, but this was a vacation and I just wanted to enjoy it. Overall the vacation was wonderful, the ship was beautiful(I didn't see the problem with the dining room decor) , the ports were nice and everyone was very friendly.

 

We never had to wait long for food or drinks. We were in and out quickly, with in an hour. Maybe you had to wait long because your large party was rearanged which then caused an overwhelming number for your wait staff. That not being your fault or the waiters.

 

I personally enjoyed all the see days because it was a relaxing vacation. I agree it was a bit rocky going down due to Bertha. However, on the way back there were tropical storms along the East Coast. We didn't feel any rockiness on the way back.

[GiaGia]

I was on same time as Surbish and agree completely with the review. This was my 8th cruise, first on Carnival. Embarkation was a disaster, due to 15 people on same booking number (this was to assure our family would be seated together on this our first family cruise). We chose Carnival for the grandchildren and they had a great time. We were NOT seated together in the Dining room so had to visit "Frankie" who could not assure us of anything but did come up with 2 booths and a table for 8. I had booked in May of 2007 and was very disappointed that our request for two tables was ignored. We made do but noticed many other groups had their large tables. The next day my dd and her family was moved clear across the dining room so this time "Jan" moved her back again, but why should we be put through this? We held our breath that no more problems would pop up. Carnival says, tell us about your special occasion. We did but when my family asked to have our 50th Anniversary mentioned, Frankie said flat out "NO". It did not matter to me but my kids were upset. What would it take to have some celebrants stand up for a birthday or anniversary announcement, a couple of minutes from Frankie's very annoying and loud, "Showtime" which only showcased himself? Carnival was happy enough to sell a cake and decorations for our cabin. In my opinion the service on the ship was fine in the dining room and in the cabin. There seems to be less personnel on the rest of the ship and I definitely did not feel the friendliness of other cruise lines. Many employees did not even look at you. I am used to greeting and being greeted on cruises. Continued................

[GiaGia]

It was disappointing to see the back (outdoor) of the Lido deck filled with trash at 7am on the last morning of the cruise. They started serving bkfst at 6:30. I guess no one checked it out. I was very surprised that no one had cleaned up after the piggie guests from the night before.

Now that I have that off my mind, some good stuff for you newbies. The cabins, bedding and food are the best ever. The main shows are very nice.You will have a great cruise. I did in spite of the small problems. I am glad I tried Carnival but it just isn't up to the other cruise lines I have traveled on so I will leave it to those who love it!

[Jaygar]

I was also on the Miracle 7/12-7/20, and we had a nice cruise, but yes, there were some issues. This was my first Carnival cruise. I had cruised with Royal Carribean before. I'm no cruise vet like a lot of you, but these are my observations...perhaps some of you can explain some of my observations.

 

The staff, for the MOST part were great. We had a fabulous room steward, and our waiters, Denzel and Juan were outstanding. They NEVER left us waiting for a thing, and in fact, often got it before we asked. They remembered how we liked our salads, etc, and always had them ready! We made sure to give them a great thumbs up on the comment cards! (I agree, Frankie was annoying as hell, and I didn't appreciate the last day scramble he made at the tables sniffing for tips).

 

The Pursers were largely unhelpful. We had an issue to be resolved and only one Purser was trying very hard to help, but his supervisor couldn't be bothered and his hands were somewhat tied. No biggie, but we got the feeling that the staff were not supposed to "think" or try to resolve issues on their own or without express permission. Except one. Marcus. A photographer that worked in the gallery as well. A lot of those gallery workers were not able to speak english all that well, and one of them told us we could not get the photo disk and had to buy however many copies of each picture we wanted...instead of buying one and then getting it on disk. When we found out later he was wrong, we tried to get it fixed, and were met with shrugs, deer in the headlight stares, and total incomprehension from most of the workers. Marcus told us that they could not refund or exchange, but when he saw that it was going to be a *problem*..he went into "take charge" mode and said he'd just exchange the extra copies for the new pictures we were going to buy. Simple...common sense solution that obviously he was not supposed to do on his own. Silly, really. simple things like that the crew members should be able to do without looking over their shoulders. Marcus got very high marks on the comment card. Some of the photo workers wouldn't even cut your pictures if you got a package, and some would. Like I said, a lot of them seemed to not even understand what you were asking for! They shrugged a lot.

 

We found the ship to be clean (although a bit over the top) The cabins were great. we were on deck 8, and sadly...the lido deck noise was a problem...especially the big party they had after our day in Puerto Rico. The music and dragging of deck chairs kept a lot of people awake...and we had to get up around 6am the next day for St. Thomas. A LOT of people on our deck complained about the constant noise, so careful about where you book your cabin if you are not a deep sleeper. (we had one of the extended deck cabins a little bit toward the front of the ship). but our *main* complaint was the pools. Was the guy who designed this ship on drugs? (well, maybe, if you take the dining room into consideration! :D)

 

These are the tiniest pools...with such *wasted* space that could be utilized for swimming. You couldn't get into the pool! And forget the hot tub. more than 4..and god forbid it wasn't 4 thin people..and there was no room. In the larger hot tubs at the non adult pools, the kids were jumping into them like they were pools. I got into the pool twice only. And all you could do was stand there. When you have so many sea days, the pool is important part of it.

 

Also, when we sailed Royal....we docked in much better areas..closer to the shops, and in better areas of the shops. In St. Thomas, Carnival was in port far away, and you had to take one of those open air cabs to get to the shopping. Then they let you off at a much much shabbier part of the town. Royal was right across the street and it was a very pretty well kept area of shops. I was wondering if there is a "pecking order" for the lines, because we also had to schlep it in Puerto Rico a bit, where Royal is right at the hub. We're going to cruise to Alaska next year, we're going with Royal...one of the perks of that is that they have the first 4 cars of the glass train that goes through the wilderness. by the time the later cars go through, I'm told...the animals have already scattered. Another thing that makes me wonder if certain lines have better perks or positions.

 

anyway, all vacations have their glitches, but overall we had a great time, met some great people (staff and cruisers). Some of the people were quite determined to be drunken fools, a lot of the kids were intrusive and their parents didn't watch them. It is what you make of it, but I think in the future, we'll stick with a higher end line. I'd LOVE an adult only cruise. (30 plus). Anyone have that? lol

[CWcruisers]

OK, one point I have not seen made here is that you are sailing in

 

SUMMER!

 

Yes, the staff is overwhelmed. The ships sail at max capacity in the summer with lots of little people consuming a great amount of time for all the crew members. If you sail on Carnival during the off season, it is a heck of a valuable for the money without the "Kid" factor. I had kids, I took vacations in the summer because I had to, but I don't anymore, so be patient. The same bar staff is getting all those sodas and it does take longer to get your drink because of that.

 

The Decor of the Miracle: Either you love it or hate it, but does it really matter? You are on a cruise ship. Did you make your bed, did you cook? I don't care what the ship looks like as long as I am not doing anything I don't want to do.

 

I don't think you should judge an entire cruise line based upon one travel during high season. What ever happened to second chances?

[popcorngal]

I see several references to "Frankie" the Maitre 'd. Is he also known as Mr. V the Maitre 'd? His Showtime antics sound like the same guy, but never heard him called Frankie. Anyone know if it's the same guy? If not, where'd Mr. V go? Not that I'm looking for him...I was hoping to avoid him...:D

[Illinoisgal]

FYI the supper club can look not full as when you make a reservation the table is yours for the evening so maybe it was full of reservations just the people were not there yet . too bad you didnt make the reservations online before you went it is sooo yummy!

[Quench]

I sailed the Miracle as well 7/12-7/20. If I wanted to look I am sure I could find something to complain about, but this was a vacation and I just wanted to enjoy it. Overall the vacation was wonderful, the ship was beautiful(I didn't see the problem with the dining room decor) , the ports were nice and everyone was very friendly.

 

We never had to wait long for food or drinks. We were in and out quickly, with in an hour. Maybe you had to wait long because your large party was rearanged which then caused an overwhelming number for your wait staff. That not being your fault or the waiters.

 

I personally enjoyed all the see days because it was a relaxing vacation. I agree it was a bit rocky going down due to Bertha. However, on the way back there were tropical storms along the East Coast. We didn't feel any rockiness on the way back.

 

Did you have early or late seating?

[Quench]

I was on same time as Surbish and agree completely with the review. This was my 8th cruise, first on Carnival. Embarkation was a disaster, due to 15 people on same booking number (this was to assure our family would be seated together on this our first family cruise). We chose Carnival for the grandchildren and they had a great time. We were NOT seated together in the Dining room so had to visit "Frankie" who could not assure us of anything but did come up with 2 booths and a table for 8. I had booked in May of 2007 and was very disappointed that our request for two tables was ignored. We made do but noticed many other groups had their large tables. The next day my dd and her family was moved clear across the dining room so this time "Jan" moved her back again, but why should we be put through this? We held our breath that no more problems would pop up. Carnival says, tell us about your special occasion. We did but when my family asked to have our 50th Anniversary mentioned, Frankie said flat out "NO". It did not matter to me but my kids were upset. What would it take to have some celebrants stand up for a birthday or anniversary announcement, a couple of minutes from Frankie's very annoying and loud, "Showtime" which only showcased himself? Carnival was happy enough to sell a cake and decorations for our cabin. In my opinion the service on the ship was fine in the dining room and in the cabin. There seems to be less personnel on the rest of the ship and I definitely did not feel the friendliness of other cruise lines. Many employees did not even look at you. I am used to greeting and being greeted on cruises. Continued................

 

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Did you make dinning arrangements with the group planner? I have a group with 19 and someone from the group dinning dept called to make arrangements for dinner seating.

[Quench]

I was also on the Miracle 7/12-7/20, and we had a nice cruise, but yes, there were some issues. This was my first Carnival cruise. I had cruised with Royal Carribean before. I'm no cruise vet like a lot of you, but these are my observations...perhaps some of you can explain some of my observations.

 

The staff, for the MOST part were great. We had a fabulous room steward, and our waiters, Denzel and Juan were outstanding. They NEVER left us waiting for a thing, and in fact, often got it before we asked. They remembered how we liked our salads, etc, and always had them ready! We made sure to give them a great thumbs up on the comment cards! (I agree, Frankie was annoying as hell, and I didn't appreciate the last day scramble he made at the tables sniffing for tips).

 

The Pursers were largely unhelpful. We had an issue to be resolved and only one Purser was trying very hard to help, but his supervisor couldn't be bothered and his hands were somewhat tied. No biggie, but we got the feeling that the staff were not supposed to "think" or try to resolve issues on their own or without express permission. Except one. Marcus. A photographer that worked in the gallery as well. A lot of those gallery workers were not able to speak english all that well, and one of them told us we could not get the photo disk and had to buy however many copies of each picture we wanted...instead of buying one and then getting it on disk. When we found out later he was wrong, we tried to get it fixed, and were met with shrugs, deer in the headlight stares, and total incomprehension from most of the workers. Marcus told us that they could not refund or exchange, but when he saw that it was going to be a *problem*..he went into "take charge" mode and said he'd just exchange the extra copies for the new pictures we were going to buy. Simple...common sense solution that obviously he was not supposed to do on his own. Silly, really. simple things like that the crew members should be able to do without looking over their shoulders. Marcus got very high marks on the comment card. Some of the photo workers wouldn't even cut your pictures if you got a package, and some would. Like I said, a lot of them seemed to not even understand what you were asking for! They shrugged a lot.

 

We found the ship to be clean (although a bit over the top) The cabins were great. we were on deck 8, and sadly...the lido deck noise was a problem...especially the big party they had after our day in Puerto Rico. The music and dragging of deck chairs kept a lot of people awake...and we had to get up around 6am the next day for St. Thomas. A LOT of people on our deck complained about the constant noise, so careful about where you book your cabin if you are not a deep sleeper. (we had one of the extended deck cabins a little bit toward the front of the ship). but our *main* complaint was the pools. Was the guy who designed this ship on drugs? (well, maybe, if you take the dining room into consideration! :D)

 

These are the tiniest pools...with such *wasted* space that could be utilized for swimming. You couldn't get into the pool! And forget the hot tub. more than 4..and god forbid it wasn't 4 thin people..and there was no room. In the larger hot tubs at the non adult pools, the kids were jumping into them like they were pools. I got into the pool twice only. And all you could do was stand there. When you have so many sea days, the pool is important part of it.

 

Also, when we sailed Royal....we docked in much better areas..closer to the shops, and in better areas of the shops. In St. Thomas, Carnival was in port far away, and you had to take one of those open air cabs to get to the shopping. Then they let you off at a much much shabbier part of the town. Royal was right across the street and it was a very pretty well kept area of shops. I was wondering if there is a "pecking order" for the lines, because we also had to schlep it in Puerto Rico a bit, where Royal is right at the hub. We're going to cruise to Alaska next year, we're going with Royal...one of the perks of that is that they have the first 4 cars of the glass train that goes through the wilderness. by the time the later cars go through, I'm told...the animals have already scattered. Another thing that makes me wonder if certain lines have better perks or positions.

 

anyway, all vacations have their glitches, but overall we had a great time, met some great people (staff and cruisers). Some of the people were quite determined to be drunken fools, a lot of the kids were intrusive and their parents didn't watch them. It is what you make of it, but I think in the future, we'll stick with a higher end line. I'd LOVE an adult only cruise. (30 plus). Anyone have that? lol

 

How many ships were in port at St Thomas?

[surbish]

You knew prior to sailing that there were 3 days in port and the rest were at sea days......some people actually enjoy the sea days and would rather not fly to Florida. Personally I've done both and either way works for me.

 

I did know that there were four sea days. I've loved the sea days on past cruises so thought I'd be fine with this cruise. I was wrong.

[surbish]

on the Miracle recently.

Surbish. It sounded to me as if your main complaints were about under-staffing and SOME rude passengers. Unfortuately rude passengers can be on any cruise.:(

Did you find the under-staffing was across all departments or mainly in the dining room? Another poster was unhappy with the treatment in the dining room.

A question about the casino? Did you spend much time there and was it very smokey? Was Nicole the casino host. She was always bright, happy and friendly. I think I may have sailed with her before. How were the staff in the casino?

Sorry you and some others have been disappionted recently, but I do appreciate your honest opinons.

Many others seem to have been perfectly happy on the Miracle.

Thanks for posting.:)

 

Yes Nicole was the casino host... an absolutely wonderful, energized Australian lady... Our daughter also loved her... taught her the game of craps.... This woman will be at the top of her profession no matter where she chooses to work!

 

Surpprisingly the casino did not seem smokey 85% of the time. There were a few crowded late nights when the smoke free BJ table got a whiff... but never over bearing.

 

Again, it was a nice cruise... just not the unbelievable experience of Carnival I felt the prior five times.

[TravelQueenNMS]

We had the late seating.

[surbish]

OK, one point I have not seen made here is that you are sailing in

 

SUMMER!

 

Yes, the staff is overwhelmed. The ships sail at max capacity in the summer with lots of little people consuming a great amount of time for all the crew members. If you sail on Carnival during the off season, it is a heck of a valuable for the money without the "Kid" factor. I had kids, I took vacations in the summer because I had to, but I don't anymore, so be patient. The same bar staff is getting all those sodas and it does take longer to get your drink because of that.

 

The Decor of the Miracle: Either you love it or hate it, but does it really matter? You are on a cruise ship. Did you make your bed, did you cook? I don't care what the ship looks like as long as I am not doing anything I don't want to do.

 

I don't think you should judge an entire cruise line based upon one travel during high season. What ever happened to second chances?

 

What happened to reading comprehension? I've been on six Carnival cruises, four during the peak summer travel season... as to whether I made my bed or cooked? Please... I didn't make my bed or cook during my last hospital stay either.

 

Ranking my six Carnival cruises, with #1 being the best... this last cruise comes in at number six, without question.

[Jaygar]

three. two carnivals and one Royal. One of the carnival ships was docked over by the Royal Carribbean ship, and ours was wayyy far away...you couldn't even see the other ships till you got to the shopping areas.

[imlulu]

I'm sorry your cruise wasnt what you expected. We did the Miracle out of Tampa back in 05 and it was our best cruise!

 

Personally the decor didnt bother me. However I like the Victory's decor better than the Miracle.

 

I find every sailing is different and even within sailings people' experiences are different. On our last cruise, we had a great time.We heard others complaining on the ship. People in buffet line complaining about length of line. Meanwhile line on Lido was nonexistant. I got breakfast, sat down, and ate it. While dh insisted on standing in line inside. After that he listened to me.;) We did same sailing same ship 2 years ago worst cruise we have been on.

 

My kids would love to do the Miracle again. The number of sea days totally turns me off. I find in summer in particular people need to get off ship. It puts them in better moods.:)

 

Hope your next cruise is better!

[Jleo77]

2 things I find funny about all of this.

 

#1 - How people can share the same experience and come away with such different opinions. I loved this cruise. It was my first Carnival and second overall. I would go back in a second. I read the critical reviews and can't believe we were on the same boat. But often times its just a little personal experience that sours the whole trip for people.

 

#2 - The need some people have to defend the experience. Who cares if somebody didn't like the trip and would never return. That's their choice. It seems like, if you read between the lines, some people take it as a personal insult that somebody is criticizing their choice of ships or lines. To each his own.;)

[motherofthree]

jleo

I agree with you 100 percent...I have been on the miracle 2 times and cant get enough of it..personally, i dont care about the decor..I care about having a good time, food, fun and entertainment....on every ship there will be ones who love and ones who hate it...This is all part of life..to each his own.

[SJ]

I will be sailing the Miracle in September. I hope it will be a nice vacation. To those who won't sail on her again, I say fine. Less demand means cheaper prices for the rest of us.

[GiaGia]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Did you make dinning arrangements with the group planner? I have a group with 19 and someone from the group dinning dept called to make arrangements for dinner seating.

My TA said she spoke to them but who knows what happened? I am glad to hear there is a group dining dept and will follow up with my TA. Thanks for the info.

[GiaGia]

I see several references to "Frankie" the Maitre 'd. Is he also known as Mr. V the Maitre 'd? His Showtime antics sound like the same guy, but never heard him called Frankie. Anyone know if it's the same guy? If not, where'd Mr. V go? Not that I'm looking for him...I was hoping to avoid him...:D

It must be the same one as his name is Frankie Van. He was very arrogant, loud and annoying.

[CWcruisers]

2 things I find funny about all of this.

 

#1 - How people can share the same experience and come away with such different opinions. I loved this cruise. It was my first Carnival and second overall. I would go back in a second. I read the critical reviews and can't believe we were on the same boat. But often times its just a little personal experience that sours the whole trip for people.

 

#2 - The need some people have to defend the experience. Who cares if somebody didn't like the trip and would never return. That's their choice. It seems like, if you read between the lines, some people take it as a personal insult that somebody is criticizing their choice of ships or lines. To each his own.;)

 

I agree with #1 but I am not in total agreement with you on #2. The way I look at things is if you don't have something nice to say, say nothing. I really wish CC would not have member reviews or allow review post because it is just one person's opinion.

 

But if you read some of the post on this thread, it instills doubt in those about to sail, and that's not necessary. We should all board our cruise ship with stars in our eyes and hope in our hearts and roll with the punches.

 

If the dessert is not very good, look at all the calories I saved!

[harry0]

We will be on the Miracle in October doing the same itinerary.

CW-This is Cruise Critic key word Critic. I am glad I can get a well balanced look at the ship I will be going on. I dont want to hear that everything is perfect if it isn't.

The reviews paint a realistic picture on what I can expect.

 

I am sure we will have a great time mainly because of the people we will be sailing with(friends and family). I will definately double check our groups dinner seating arrangements. Happy cruising

Harry0

[popcorngal]

It must be the same one as his name is Frankie Van. He was very arrogant, loud and annoying.

 

Yep, sure sounds like him~Thanks for the update GiaGia!